Love Is For Children
by BadInLatin
Summary: Grant Ward doesn't believe he can be loved. Melinda May doesn't believe in love at all. They deal with each other in the only way they know how. May/Ward - set after Yes Men.


AN: This was something of a stylistic experiment for me and I'm not sure how it turned out. I wanted to write something a little on the angstier side of things but, once again, not sure how it turned out. Anyway I love these two a lot. Feedback is much loved and appreciated, please tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: As always, none of these brilliant characters are mine.

* * *

Melinda May does not believe love exists.

But she still has Ward's shirt. She finds her hand twitching, ever so slightly, to reach for him. Her eyes still go to him when she thinks he can't see. Still feels tempted to go into his bunk at night and just say _something. _She had forgotten how good it felt just to be touched. She wonders how much of her human contact has been in combat. Probably most of it. All she feels is regret, for starting something in the first place, for letting herself feel whatever it was she felt, for ending it. She can't even bare to look him in the eyes.

Grant Ward does not believe he can be loved.

Of course he can't. He's the dumb muscle. And he's not even good enough at that. He's there to protect the others. But his brother still nearly drowned in that well. Simmons jumped out of a plane. Coulson was kidnapped. Skye was lucky to even be alive. And Melinda, Melinda scolded him for taking a punch for her. Melinda was tortured and wouldn't even let him help her with her wounds. Since Lorelei, Melinda barely even looks at him. All he feels is anger, most of it directed at himself. How could he have been so weak? He takes it out on the punching bag. He'll punch until his fists bleed.

She knows she should talk to him. But she's never been good with words, never has been. And a part of her thinks it's easier this way. She should at least tell him she doesn't care if he's with Skye. She's not attached, why would she be? Even if Lorelei's words 'it's not you', echo through her head whenever she sees the girl. She should have seen it coming. She was foolish to think it would have been her in the first place. Skye is young, full of life and energy, bursting with everything May lost in Bahrain. Skye can give him everything May can't. It's not jealousy she feels, not really, something more akin to sadness. She needs to keep herself from dwelling on this. She needs to do Tai chi. the sky is perfectly clear, the route simple, the plane can steer itself. She puts it on autopilot and leaves the cockpit.

Ward is there when she enters, fists flying at the bag before him. She watches for a moment, considers going back to cockpit, but then his eyes dart upward. She's seen. Her muscles tighten, but she moves down the stairs. "Hey." It's the first word she's said to him since the cockpit. It feels stale on her tongue.

"Hey." He says in response, teeth gritted as his fists collide again with the bag. What does she want? She's already made it clear that it's not him.

"Want to spar?"

"With you?"

"Do you see anyone else here?" He stops hitting the punching bag and looks over to her, surprised. Does she want to go back to how it was before? He stares at her, trying to figure out her intentions, she's as stone-faced as ever, giving away nothing.

"Sure." He says, returning her deadpan. She nods and removes her vest and top, revealing her usual black tank top underneath. He tries not to watch.

They take their stances. "Ready?" Ward asks.

"Ready." He lunges at her but it's predictable. She ducks and swipes her leg out in a kick, but he sees it coming and grabs her arm, throwing her off balance. She rolls out and is on her feet effortlessly, and takes the chance to go at him.

She does not believe in love. Natasha Romanoff once told her love is for children. But there are rumours.

He knows her fighting style just as well as she knows his. She dodges his punches effortlessly. Sweat is forming on both her forehead and dripping from his. He grabs her roundhouse kick but she knows how to twist out of his with ease, swinging a punch that he blocks before making a jab at her.

He does not believe he can be loved. But he catches her looking when she thinks he can't see.

They keep getting closer, teeth gritted, beginning to pant, dancing around each other, trying to break the stalemate. Something is deteriorating; they both still have the berserker inside them. Both almost want the other to win.

Ward wants her to hit him, beat Lorelei out of him and destroy all the reasons she left.

May wants to be his outlet. Relieve him of some of the stress in the only way she knows how.

Both of them know this isn't just a sparring match anymore. Both of them know it never really was.

The dance ends. There's a glint in his eye she hasn't seen before and she falters just slightly enough to blame on the fatigue. He overtakes her. Within a second, she's on her back with his weight on top of her, pinning her to the mat. She could probably get out if she wanted to, but she doesn't test that theory. This time, he's won. Their eyes lock, chests heaving, breathing hard. He releases his grip, letting her go. She doesn't move.

"Be with Skye." The words all fall out of her mouth on the same breath, blending into one sound. He barely even comprehends it before he takes the side of her face is his hand and brings his lips crashing against hers. Sense says she should push him away, but she doesn't, instead she brings her hand to the back of his neck and kisses back.

It's passionate, but it's short. Just as quickly as he began, he pulls away. They stare at each other for a moment, open-mouthed, but the moment is over. Almost simultaneously, they pull away and stand up. May searches for words. She finds none. He stares at her, hoping she'll say something, anything. She doesn't. But that look has to mean something. She seems almost sad, and not only because she lost. He can still taste her kiss. He turns to leave, and from the corner of his eye, sees the familiar twitch of her hand towards him and knows they aren't done here. May watches him go, and hopes the same thing is true.

Ward does not believe he can be loved. But if anyone could, it's her.

May doesn't believe in love. But he makes her wonder.


End file.
